Thieves strip bronze from three works at Pullinen sculpture park

Thieves have removed bronze parts from three works at the Laila Pullinen sculpture park in Sotunki, Vantaa, prompting the foundation to consider replacing the originals with copies. Yle reports that police are investigating the incident as aggravated theft.

The damaged works are Diocles/Häkkinen, Metamorphosis II and Little Leda. Their granite and marble sections were left behind. The three works are valued at about 90,000 euros, while their stolen bronze would fetch only about 100 to 150 euros as scrap metal, said Jean Ramsay, Pullinen’s son and chair of the foundation’s board.

It is the second time thieves have targeted the park. In summer 2025, two bronze sculptures worth a combined 140,000 euros were stolen, while an attempt to take a third work failed. Pullinen died in November 2015.

Ramsay said the latest theft happened in September while he and his wife, museum director Petra Piitulainen-Ramsay, were on holiday. He said he believes the thefts were carried out by the same professional, organised international group, rather than being an act of local vandalism. A police report has been filed.

Since the latest incident, the park has added cameras to eliminate blind spots and installed a separate system that records its larger sculptures and building entrances around the clock. Ramsay also said a WhatsApp group of local dog walkers and other people who spend time outdoors has been set up to keep watch during their daily walks.

The foundation is weighing whether to make copies of the works and keep the originals in locked storage, lending them only for museum exhibitions. Some sculptures are too heavy to move easily and can mainly be protected through camera surveillance.

Pullinen wanted the sculptures to remain outdoors in the places she chose across the 3.6-hectare park. Ramsay said the works helped save the grounds from being levelled and developed, and he fears further thefts could threaten the future of the whole park. The home museum and sculpture park receive about 6,000 visitors a year.